News Paper: März 2013

Samstag, 30. März 2013

Call to a CNN Host Hints at a Shifting ‘Today’

Today’ Show?: The Times’s David Carr and Brian Stelter discuss the possibility of CNN’s Anderson Cooper replacing NBC’s Matt Lauer.

By BRIAN STELTERPublished: March 27, 2013 Last week, it was Jay Leno who learned what NBC imagined his future to be. This week, it is Matt Lauer’s turn in the spotlight.

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Trainees in Radiology and Other Specialties See Dream Jobs Disappearing

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Bloomberg Expresses Rage Over Failed Plan for Speed-Tracking Cameras

Cardinal Dolan Visits Maximum-Security Prison

Gaza Journal: Ex-Palestinian Prisoners Bring Taste of West Bank to Gaza

Dairy Finds Way to Let Cows Power Trucks

Doctor for N.F.L. Says Study Overstates Effects of C.T.E.

News Analysis: Political Success Can Be a Setback in Gay Rights

States Redefining Public Schooling

In the Running: For Lhota, No Regrets Over Losing Fight to Remove Art

Senate Barbers Get Trimmed in Latest Budget Cuts

Bulls 101, Heat 97: Heat’s Streak Stopped by Bulls at 27

DealBook: Another Big Buy for SAC Founder, in the Hamptons

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Documents on 2011 Giffords Shooting Are Released

The Caucus: Menino to End Long Run as Boston Mayor, Reports Say

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Mandela Back in Hospital With Lung Infection

By LYDIA POLGREENPublished: March 28, 2013 JOHANNESBURG – Former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa was readmitted to the hospital overnight because of a recurring lung infection, President Jacob Zuma said in a statement on Thursday, appealing to people around the world to pray for him.

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U.S. Sends Stealth Bombers Over South Korea in Practice Run

By CHOE SANG-HUNPublished: March 28, 2013 SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. military made a rare announcement that two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers ran a practice bombing sortie over South Korea on Thursday, underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend its ally amid rising tensions with North Korea.

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Calm Reigns in Cyprus as Banks Prepare to Open

Lawyers Appeal Against Pistorius Bail Restrictions

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPublished: March 28, 2013 at 5:40 AM ET PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius appealed against some of his bail restrictions Thursday, saying the Olympic athlete might eventually need to return to track competition to earn money.

Pistorius' lawyers say the double-amputee runner, who is charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend on Feb. 14, is being treated as a flight risk by his bail restrictions even though a magistrate ruled last month that he was not when he released Pistorius on 1 million rand ($108,000) bail.

Lawyer Barry Roux said that Pistorius' current bail restrictions amounted to "house arrest." Prosecutors say they oppose any relaxing of Pistorius' bail restrictions.

Roux said that Pistorius has no desire to return to track now, but "this might and this will change." He said Pistorius should be allowed to travel for international meets under "controlled" circumstances, where he would require advanced permission from police and would have to give details of his travel schedule before he left South Africa.

Pistorius was not present in court Thursday.

Roux also argued against the ruling that Pistorius is not allowed to return to his home in a gated community in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, where he shot Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

The bail ruling prevented him from returning to his home or speaking to residents, but his lawyers say he must be allowed to consult with residents in order to prepare his defense against the murder charge against him.

Pistorius says he killed Steenkamp accidentally when he fired shots through a door in his bathroom in the pre-dawn hour,s fearing there was an intruder in his house. Prosecutors say he shot the model and reality TV star intentionally after they argued, and they have charged him with premeditated murder.

Pistorius was not required to attend his appeal hearing and there were also none of his family members present at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

The judge said he would rule on Pistorius' appeal later Thursday.

Pistorius' bail appeal was being heard by the judge at the high court a day after the athlete's older brother, Carl Pistorius, went on trial for culpable homicide for the death of a woman motorcyclist in a 2008 road accident. Carl Pistorius pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the main charge of culpable homicide and not guilty to two alternative charges relating to driving recklessly and inconsiderately.

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Critic’s Notebook: Eating and Drinking Red Hook, Brooklyn

Herschel Schacter | 1917-2013: Rabbi Herschel Schacter, Who Carried Word of Freedom to Buchenwald, Dies at 95

Audio and Analysis of Hearing’s Key Moments

Bikram Yoga Founder Is Sued by Former Student

Immigrants’ Solitary Confinement to Be Reviewed

Secret Service Gets First Female Director

New Mexico Farmers Push to Be Made a Priority in Drought

BRICS to Form Development Bank

Loppersum Journal: More Earthquakes in Loppersum, the Netherlands

T-Mobile Unveils Aggressive Phone Pricing With No Contracts

Online Dispute Becomes Internet-Snarling Attack

Police Perspective to Be Presented at Trial on Stop-and-Frisk Tactic

Markieff and Marcus Morrises Are Suns and Brothers

Shore Rebuilding, Renters Go South for Summer

Jessica Kourkounis for The New York TimesIn Lavallette, N.J., repairs to homes, the boardwalk and the beach, all damaged during Hurricane Sandy, are continuing. More Photos »

By KATE ZERNIKEPublished: March 26, 2013 ORTLEY BEACH, N.J. — In a typical summer, Terriann and Joseph LoVerde’s rental here makes for a listing a real estate broker called a real moneymaker.

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Strong Quake Sways Buildings in Taiwan

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPublished: March 26, 2013 at 11:34 PM ET TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A strong earthquake struck central Taiwan on Wednesday, killing at one person and injuring 19 as it damaged buildings on the quake-prone island.

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Conservative Lawyers Are Opponents on Gay Marriage

United States 0, Mexico 0: For U.S., Tie in Mexico Feels a Lot Like Victory

Europeans Planted Seeds of Crisis in Cyprus

Yannis Behrakis/ReutersThousands of students protested Tuesday outside the presidential palace in Nicosia, the capital, a day after Cyprus agreed to a painful bailout to avert bankruptcy.

By ANDREW HIGGINS and LIZ ALDERMANPublished: March 26, 2013 NICOSIA, Cyprus — When European finance chiefs explained their harsh terms for rescuing Cyprus this week, many blamed the tiny Mediterranean nation’s wayward banking practices for bringing ruin on itself.

RelatedHead of Cyprus’s Biggest Bank Resigns(March 27, 2013)In Cyprus, Big Losses Expected on Deposits(March 27, 2013)News Analysis: Stricter Rules but Signs of Disarray in Cyprus Deal(March 26, 2013)With or Without Bailout, Cypriots Lose Trust in Banks(March 26, 2013)

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Justices to Hear Arguments on Defense of Marriage Act

China Sentences 20 for Separatists Acts in Restive Region

North Korea Shuts Last Remaining Hotline to South

DealBook: JPMorgan Chase Faces Full-Court Press of Federal Investigations

Justices to Hear Case on Defense of Marriage Act

Wheels: A New Range Rover Sport Arrives With 007 at the Wheel

Maine Lawyer Credited in Fight for Gay Marriage

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERGPublished: March 27, 2013 PORTLAND, Me. — Most Americans have never heard of Mary Bonauto. But inside the tightknit world of gay legal advocacy, Ms. Bonauto is a quiet celebrity — a lawyer and mother of twins who some say is almost single-handedly responsible for the same-sex marriage cases now pending before the Supreme Court.

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This Land: Secrets of Duffy’s Cut Yield to Shovel and Science

Same-Sex Marriage Opponents March in France

Peng Liyuan, China’s new first lady, adds glamour

‘The Croods’ and ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Lead the Box Office

a prehistoric road movie from DreamWorks.

By BROOKS BARNESPublished: March 24, 2013 LOS ANGELES — Hollywood finally lured moviegoers out of their caves.

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The Media Equation: In WikiLeaks Trial, a Theater of State Secrecy

Court to Decide on Pensions in Stockton, Calif., Bankruptcy

Freitag, 29. März 2013

Months After Newtown, Obama Seeks to Regain Momentum on Gun Control

Broad-Based S.&P. 500-Stock Index Ends at Record High

Soaring Bee Deaths in 2012 Sound Alarm on Malady

E.P.A. Wants to Cut Amount of Sulfur in Gasoline

Obsessions of Adam Lanza, Newtown Killer, in Detail

Deal Reached on Paid Sick Leave in New York City

Riding Wave of Popularity, Craft Brewers Ask Congress for a Tax Cut

Christopher Gregory/The New York TimesThere were many samples at the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington.

By ANDREW SIDDONSPublished: March 28, 2013 WASHINGTON — They came to an opening night beer blast at the National Air and Space Museum, 4,000 strong in baseball caps and T-shirts, to look at the Wright Brothers’ airplane and drink Citizen by DC Brau, which also makes a wryly named hometown brew, Corruption.

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Texas Death Row Inmate’s Bid for Resentencing Has Support of Victim, Prosecutor and Ex-Governor

South: Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida: N.C.A.A. Tournament — Florida Gulf Coast Isn’t Ready to Cede Spotlight

For Obama, a Tricky Balancing Act in Enforcing Defense of Marriage Act

Long Prison Term Shortened by Judge’s Regrets

Taliban Extending Reach Across Pakistan

Mets’ Johan Santana Probably Out for the Season

East: Syracuse 61, Indiana 50: Syracuse Smothers Indiana

Robbie Rogers Feels Free After Revealing He Is Gay

Damascus Students Killed in Mortar Strike

Nelson Mandela Spends Second Night in Hospital

Kim Jong-un of North Korea Orders Missile Readiness

Mittwoch, 27. März 2013

US justices to hear second gay case

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Egypt prosecutor sacking overturned

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Workers' rights for maids in Brazil

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Rio 2016 stadium indefinitely closed

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French soldier held in Merah case

Mohamed Merah died in a shoot-out with police at his flat in Toulouse on 22 March 2012 Continue reading the main story Toulouse Shootings What 'Merah video' contains Could Merah have been stopped? Siege as it happened Did France ignore threat? A French soldier has been arrested in connection with the shootings carried out by Islamist militant gunman Mohamed Merah in Toulouse a year ago.

The soldier was held at his barracks in Castres, police sources said.

Two more people had been arrested for questioning late on Tuesday, as police continue their hunt for accomplices.

Merah carried out three deadly attacks between 11 and 19 March 2012, killing seven people before being shot dead during a police siege of his flat.

Merah killed three paratroopers, and then an adult and three children at a Jewish school.

Hollande vow

A judicial source said the soldier arrested had known Merah but gave no more details.

Agnes Thibault Lecuivre, of the prosecutor's office, said one of the arrests on Tuesday had taken place in Toulouse's Les Izards district, where Merah lived as a child.

Since the attacks, police and security forces have continued to investigate the possibility of accomplices.

However, only Merah's brother has been charged. He was detained last year and continues to deny any involvement.

The arrests come just 10 days after President Francois Hollande attended a service to mark the anniversary of the killings.

He said France was tightening its intelligence gathering to prevent further such attacks.

Mr Hollande said the fight against terrorism "allows for no easing off, no weakness and no negligence".

French intelligence had been monitoring Merah as a suspected Islamist militant following trips he made to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He reportedly told negotiators during the siege he was a member of al-Qaeda.

According to French prosecutors, he expressed no regrets other than "not having claimed more victims" and was proud of having "brought France to its knees".

He said he had been motivated by the fate of the Palestinians, the French military presence in Afghanistan and France's ban on the full veil.

More on This Story Toulouse Shootings LatestWhat 'Merah video' containsCould Merah have been stopped?Siege as it happenedDid France ignore threat?Political falloutMedia dividedMerah obituaryFrench Jews traumatised BackgroundWhat we knowFrench shootings: The victims VideoInside the killer's flat WatchRaid on shooting suspect WatchFunerals in Jerusalem WatchSarkozy on families' courage Watch'Sense of anxiety in France' Watch From other news sites Yahoo! UK and Ireland French soldier arrested in Toulouse 41 mins ago France24 Three arrested in connection with Toulouse killer Merah 56 mins ago News24.com Soldier held in Toulouse shooter probe 1 hr ago Expatica France French soldier arrested in Toulouse shooter probe 2 hrs ago FOXNews.com 3 arrested in Toulouse terror attacks inquiry 2 hrs ago About these results Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print More Europe stories RSS

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NGO fears as Russian raids multiply

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Suu Kyi attends Burma army parade

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N Korea cuts South military hotline

Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Oscar Pistorius' brother in court

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UN proposes 11,000 Mali peacekeepers

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Ambulance targets missed again

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Low vaccine fear in measles epidemic

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Beer keg sparks alert in Fermanagh

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Snow and ice bring travel disruption

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Scotland 'tobacco free' by 2034

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Shop fire collapse shuts busy road

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Tube drivers vote to go on strike

Jubilee Line Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesTube drivers ballot over strike Tube drivers on the Jubilee Line have voted to go on two 24-hour strikes in a row over working conditions and claims of bullying.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union and Aslef are set to walk out on 2 April and on 2 May.

The unions claimed the reasons for the dispute include "bullying of staff" and a "decline" of working conditions.

London Underground said it had addresses the issues in the dispute and urged the unions to hold more talks.

'Very poor'

In a letter to London Underground setting out the reasons for the dispute, the RMT highlighted:

The "unfair and disproportionate" treatment of drivers in disciplinary meetings Many facilities on the Jubilee line being in a "very poor" and in some cases a "disgusting" state The "removal and threatened removal" of some benefits A "severe lack of support" from managers for their staff

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "RMT will not sit back and allow the wilful misuse of procedures on any part of the Tube network as a means of bullying and intimidating our members."

Howard Collins, London Underground's chief operating officer, said however he believed all such issues in the dispute "have been addressed".

"

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Williams names daughter as successor

Watch video Rain likely for Malaysian Grand Prix 21 Mar 2013Features Today's Formula 1 gossip column 21 Nov 2012Formula 1 Webber's dad criticises Vettel 26 Mar 2013Formula 1 Vettel should be suspended - Watson 25 Mar 2013Formula 1 Every team wants fighting drivers, not pussycats 25 Mar 2013Formula 1 Elsewhere on the BBC

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Two National fancies to miss Aintree

Watch video Henderson hails Sprinter Sacre 13 Mar 2013Horse Racing Hospital move for jockey McNamara 25 Mar 2013Horse Racing Grand National rider safety plea 26 Mar 2013Horse Racing Kingsbarns a 2,000 Guineas doubt 24 Mar 2013Horse Racing Prince De Beauchene out of National 26 Mar 2013Horse Racing Elsewhere on the BBC

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Career may be over, says Radcliffe

Watch video Levine hopes for Olympics impetus 27 Feb 2013Athletics West Ham secure Olympic Stadium 22 Mar 2013Football Italian sprint legend Mennea dies 21 Mar 2013Athletics Wada warning over dangerous drug 21 Mar 2013Athletics Bolt to benefit from new tax laws 20 Mar 2013Athletics Elsewhere on the BBC

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England must improve, says Flower

Watch video Cook salutes 'outstanding' Prior 26 Mar 2013Cricket Bears win by innings in Abu Dhabi 27 Mar 2013Cricket Nosworthy cool on Somerset task 27 Mar 2013Somerset Cook rejects complacency claims 26 Mar 2013England England's escape 'one of their best' 26 Mar 2013Cricket Elsewhere on the BBC

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England fate in our hands - Hodgson

World Cup hopes finished - Coleman 27 Mar 2013Welsh Football Live Sportsday Live - breaking sports news 27 Mar 2013Sportsday Today's football gossip column 15 Jan 2013 Can England be trusted to see job through? 27 Mar 2013England Current Scots fail to make grade 27 Mar 2013Scotland Elsewhere on the BBC

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Who still collects first day covers?

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The Sun to charge for online access

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Shaw slates music finance 'barrier'

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Darwin letters reveal emotional side

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Fracking 'linked to Oklahoma quake'

9: N Korea cuts South military hotline 10: Pope Francis shuns grand residence Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch BBC Future

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Campaigners warn on Google Glass use

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Anti-cyber threat centre launched

Cyber attack can cost companies profits and value Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesMI5 issues cyber-attacks warningMI5 boss warns over cyber threat WatchBBC cyber-attack 'linked to Iran' A new initiative to share information on cyber threats between businesses and government is to be launched.

It will include experts from government communications body GCHQ, MI5, police and business and aims to better co-ordinate responses to the threats.

There will be a secure web-portal to allow access to shared information in real time, like a "secure Facebook".

UK networks are attacked by other states, criminals and companies seeking secrets, costing billions of pounds.

In 2012, the head of MI5 Jonathan Evans said the scale of attacks was "astonishing".

One major London listed company had incurred revenue losses of

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Warning of 'teacher shortage crisis'

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NHS emergency set-up unclear, say MPs

Accountability in the NHS will be "fragmented and blurred", MPs say Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesWho does what in the new NHSQ&A: The NHS shake-up The government's overhaul of the NHS in England mean it is "not clear who will be in charge in the event of a health emergency", MPs have warned.

From April, councils must set up health and wellbeing boards to oversee and co-ordinate services across the NHS, social care and public health sectors.

The Communities and Local Government Committee said this could result in "muddle" and demanded more "clarity".

The government says there are "clear lines of responsibility".

The boards will include representatives from clinical commissioning groups, hospitals and patient groups, as well as councillors.

'Confusion'

But the committee's report said it "is not clear who will be in charge in the event of a health emergency" either at a regional or national level.

It urged the government "to set out clearly and unambiguously the lines of responsibility".

The report said: "We heard serious concerns about the arrangements for screening and immunisation.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteWe are eager to take on this new responsibility”

End QuoteDavid RogersLocal Government Association "We urge the government and the NHS Commissioning Board to review the arrangements with a view to devolving these services to public health staff within local government, who have the local knowledge to make the system work."

The setting up of the boards follows the passing of the Health and Social Care Act last year.

The committee's chairman, Labour MP Clive Betts, said: "Without clarity there is only confusion, and a health emergency is no time for muddle.

"The government must set out unambiguously the lines of responsibility, and it must do so now as a matter of urgency.

"These arrangements need to be clear and in place on day one, 1 April. Anything else is unacceptable."

The committee also warned that the national NHS Commissioning Board would lack "local accountability" and that its status in relation to Health and Wellbeing Boards was unclear.

Mr Betts said: "Under the reformed system, considerable power is to be invested in a range of new bodies. With such power must come accountability.

"The purpose of localism is not only to devolve decision making to a local level, but to make it accountable to local people.

"With these changes it is clear that there is a shift of power and money from the Whitehall to local government and I welcome that.

"But the new arrangements are complex and responsibilities are shared across several bodies.

"The result is that lines of local accountability are fragmented and blurred."

However, David Rogers, the Lib Dem chairman of the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, said: "The transfer of responsibility for public health to councils is the biggest change in local government for a generation, yet in stark contrast with the unnecessarily negative view of the select committee there is widespread confidence among council bosses that we are ready for the challenge.

"In October last year we conducted a survey in which 95% of local authorities said they expect a safe and successful transition and over the last six months we have been ramping up preparations. We are eager to take on this new responsibility."

A Department of Health spokesperson said there were "clear lines of responsibility" under the new systems and the health secretary was ultimately accountable.

The spokesperson added: "From next month Public Health England (PHE) will be responsible for preparing and responding to health-related emergencies, such as a flu pandemic and will work together with NHS England

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Question Time to go on Radio 5 live

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Homes bonus 'inadequately monitored'

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Figures confirm UK economy shrinking

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UK pensioners 'struggling' in Cyprus

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Beaches fall below safety standards

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VIDEO: King-size baby George born at 15lbs

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Berlin Wall section removed amid row

4: Global migrants: Which are the most wanted professions? 5: The bikes for people who don't cycle 6: Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy 7: Bank of Cyprus head Kypri 'sacked' 8: Fracking 'linked to Oklahoma quake' 9: N Korea cuts South military hotline 10: Pope Francis shuns grand residence Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Two rescued after Devon landslip

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Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy

Warwick's many hits include Walk On By and I Say A Little Prayer Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesDionne Warwick's 50 years in music ListenDionne Warwick for Brecon JazzDionne Warwick sues Broadway show Walk On By singer Dionne Warwick has filed for bankruptcy in the US after amounting debts of almost $10 million (

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Cold weather disruption continues

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The BBC's Chris Buckler: "Walls of ice and snow lie at the sides of many roads"

Severe weather continues to cause disruption across parts of the UK, as forecasters warn the cold temperatures will last until mid-April.

Thousands of people in western Scotland are without power for a sixth day and further snow has caused difficult road conditions.

In Northern Ireland, the RAF is delivering emergency food supplies to remote farms for a second day.

Isle of Man farmers are searching for livestock buried in the snow.

And thousands of animals are thought trapped in snow drifts in Northern Ireland.

Current daytime temperatures across the UK are wallowing at around 2-3C.

The BBC weather centre said temperatures currently look set to remain below average until about mid-April.

Temperatures at the moment are around 5 to 10 degrees Celsius below normal levels for this time of year.

The Met Office has warned that temperatures will remain below average until about 20 April.

Continue reading the main storyLatest local information from the BBCGet the BBC news and travel for your areaGet your local forecast from BBC WeatherBBC travel newsBBC UK severe weather list (Twitter) The severe weather conditions are still having an impact across many parts of Northern Ireland, where up to 10,000 animals may have been entombed in snow drifts. Seven schools are closed Further snow is hitting many parts of Scotland, with icy roads causing travel disruption More than 1,600 homes on the Isle of Arran and in Kintyre in Argyll are without power. Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) says it hopes to restore power supplies to those affected by Thursday night The weather has been blamed for the death of hundreds of birds, including puffins, razorbills and guillemots, in Scotland and northern England, according to the RSPB Scotland In Wales, a number of roads are still closed with many impassable after last week's bad weather. Ongoing problems have seen the suspension of many local services in some areas, such as waste collection Isle of Man farmers are set to receive emergency support as the search continues for thousands of livestock buried in the snow Some 1.7 million Britons are heading abroad over the Easter weekend, according to the Association of British Travel Agents. The group said the most popular last-minute destination was Spain Kenneth Young, who is without power on Arran, told the BBC he was angry at the lack of communication from the energy company SSE.

He said the firm had not communicated with islanders that it hoped to restore power by Thursday.

Mr Young, 37, who is caring for his 86-year-old grandmother on the coastal village of Lamlash, said they were still without full power and did not expect it to return until next week.

"We are cooking with gas and gran gets confused, she wants toast and keeps trying to put the electric heating on," he said.

Though the ferry connecting Arran to the mainland is operational, Mr Young said: "I could get off the island if I needed to but I can't take my gran away - it's a big enough job to get her to the shops and the doctor."

While bets are being laid on the chances of a White Easter, the Met Office said it did not expect any fresh snowfall except on areas of higher ground. The Easter weekend would be cold but largely dry, forecasters added.

As April draws to a close, however, it said temperatures should begin to recover, particularly in the west of the country.

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Bank of Cyprus head Kypri 'sacked'

8: Fracking 'linked to Oklahoma quake' 9: N Korea cuts South military hotline 10: Pope Francis shuns grand residence Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Prudential fined £30m over AIA bid

Prudential chief executive Tidjane Thiam was censured by the Financial Services Authority Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesPrudential abandons bid for AIA Insurance giant Prudential has been fined

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'Biggest ever attack' slows internet

2: Government loses Abu Qatada appeal 3: Berlin Wall section removed amid row 4: Global migrants: Which are the most wanted professions? 5: The bikes for people who don't cycle 6: Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy 7: Bank of Cyprus head Kypri 'sacked' 8: Fracking 'linked to Oklahoma quake' 9: N Korea cuts South military hotline 10: Pope Francis shuns grand residence Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch BBC Future

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Care home worker held over murder

Ivan Emmanuel Campbell was a resident at Victoria Nursing Home A member of staff at a Manchester care home has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a resident.

Ivan Emmanuel Campbell, 73, a resident at Victoria Nursing Home in Anson Road, Rusholme, died from internal injuries.

Police were called to the home by staff who found the man injured last April.

The employee, 34, was also held on suspicion of assaulting a 72-year-old resident, who suffered a fractured rib in an incident on 19 March.

An investigation has been under way since the death of Mr Campbell, involving Manchester City Council, the NHS, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust and the Care Quality Commission.

When the CQC inspected the home a month after Mr Campbell's death it reported: "People who used the service were not fully protected from effects of abuse or exploitation within the home."

Inspectors flagged up problems with staff training and said managers had failed to ensure they "followed up new information available about established staff, and that every one working in the home could be accurately identified".

'Complex needs'

In a follow up visit last October, inspectors said the home had improved in all seven areas previously of concern and "now had effective systems in place to identify, assess, and manage risks to health, safety, and welfare".

The private home caters for 21 residents, some with mental health needs as well as other medical conditions.

Greater Manchester Police's Andy Tattersall said: "Due to the complex needs of those at the care home this has and continues to be an extremely difficult and protracted investigation.

"From the outset we were determined to establish what happened to Ivan and who was responsible for causing his injuries and that remains as true today as it did then.

"I want to reassure the relatives of residents there that their welfare is, collectively between us and our partners, a top priority."

More on This Story Related Internet links Greater Manchester Police The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites

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Banks told to raise an extra £25bn

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Miliband feared 'being distraction'

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Tributes paid to dog attack girl

Jade Anderson's body was found with the dogs at a house in Chaucer Grove Continue reading the main storyRelated Stories'Urgent need' to tighten dog laws'Dog attack' girl, 14, found deadDog attacks action plan 'inadequate' Tributes have been paid to a 14-year-old girl who died after she was attacked by a pack of "out of control" dogs at a house in Greater Manchester.

Jade Anderson was found alone with five of the animals at a house she was visiting in Chaucer Grove, Atherton, Wigan, on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said armed officers destroyed four dogs and contained a fifth.

Jade's school, Fred Longworth High School, said staff and pupils were "all deeply shocked and saddened".

Friends of the teenager are set to release lanterns outside the school in Tyldesley later.

Lively and popular

Head teacher Jan Garretts said Jade had only been a pupil since the summer but had been making excellent progress.

"Obviously we are all shocked and saddened by Jade's tragic death," she said.

"She was very lively, very popular, she made lots of friends even in the short time she was actually here.

"She loved music, she loved dancing, we have an after school dance club and she was a regular at that and really enjoyed it.

"We hoped she had a great future ahead of her and she was making excellent progress."

She added: "Fred Longworth High School always regards itself as one big family, we will all pull together and support one another."

She said the school, which is currently closed for the Easter break, would be open on Wednesday and Thursday to pupils in need of support.

Flowers have been left outside the two-storey terraced house where the incident took place, and messages from friends have been posted on Facebook.

Police said Jade's body was found at the house just after 14:00 GMT.

A post-mortem examination was due to take place on Tuesday night but officers said her injuries were "consistent with having been attacked by dogs".

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Two jailed for selling Sun stories

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Government loses Abu Qatada appeal

3: Global migrants: Which are the most wanted professions? 4: Pope Francis shuns grand residence 5: The bikes for people who don't cycle Read 1: 'Biggest ever attack' slows internet 2: 3: Berlin Wall section removed amid row 4: Global migrants: Which are the most wanted professions? 5: The bikes for people who don't cycle 6: Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy 7: Bank of Cyprus head Kypri 'sacked' 8: Fracking 'linked to Oklahoma quake' 9: N Korea cuts South military hotline 10: Pope Francis shuns grand residence Video/Audio 1: King-size baby George born at 15lbs Watch 2: CCTV shows Taiwan quake strike Watch 3: Snow misery spreads across Europe Watch 4: 'Bond' launches new Range Rover Watch 5: HMS Edinburgh's final home voyage Watch 6: Shopkeeper in $338m lottery win Watch 7: One-minute World News Watch 8: Why is Cyprus bank letter full of x’s? Watch 9: N Korea in 'combat posture No 1' Watch 10: Did Rolling Stones reunion work? Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Montag, 25. März 2013

Cyprus's devastating rescue

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Should we despair at the kids of today?

More from Mark Kiwis on drugs: A blueprint for the future? 'Bedroom tax' reprieve for disabled? Why have the white British left London? House building scheme in 'unfairness' claims I hadn't been back to my old school for 35 years. But the new BBC One series The Editors invited me to consider a question I posed on this blog. And the answer, I thought, might be found in the place I spent my teenage years.

You may recall the post - it asked whether the teen rebel is now a dying breed. I rattled off a string of statistics suggesting that youth behaviour (despite all the headlines) is far better than in my day. Sex, drugs, booze, fags, crime - teenage problems with these have all fallen hugely in the past few years.

Problems persist, of course, but the current crop of young people may be the most compliant since youth culture was born last century. And I think we need to consider why.

So, I am retracing a journey I took countless times as a teenager. The walk up the hill to Peter Symonds College in Winchester is familiar and strange in equal measure. Neglected synapses fire in warm recognition with each stride, but stepping back into my past is also disconcerting.

“Start QuoteThe persecuted swot of the past is often now celebrated as a model of geek chic”

End Quote

The landscape doesn't match my mental picture. New buildings alter and obscure views; there are unsettling alterations to once habitual trails; doorways to classrooms have been bricked up and reconfigured. (An elephant might feel like this when discovering a hotel has been built across his ancient migration route.)

The cavernous school hall, where I had quivered at the sight of dyspeptic masters in mortar boards and gowns, has become a welcoming pastel-carpeted management hub for a college that now teaches 3,600 sixth formers.

I spot the old headmaster's chair, once the seat of school authority, tucked in a corner. In a meaningless act of subversion, I pull it out and sit on it.

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Using games to teach physics

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Second chance Suede

taking nothing for granted', storyId:'21856512', sectionId:'99277', url:'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21856512', edition:'International'

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Your visions of the future

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

We asked you to send us ; hundreds of you did and now two winners have been chosen

We set the global BBC audience the challenge of imagining the future without words. We received more than 800 stills and videos from all corners of the world.

Eventually a panel of international judges representing five continent chose their favourites and from those just two winners were selected.

The competition is part of the What If? season looking into the future.

The finalists: Moving images

Europe - winner, Marina Koleva, Bulgaria

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The rise of the community service

An estimated 15 million people in England have a long-term health condition Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesQ&A: The NHS shake-upWho does what in the new NHS Ever since the NHS was created it has been dominated by two services - hospitals and GP care.

But if the health service is to thrive in the 21st Century that will have to change.

There will need to be a third pillar - the community service (or integrated care as it is known in the NHS).

The term covers services aimed at people with long-term conditions. They are the patients who need care as there is no cure.

Continue reading the main storyMoving care out of hospital

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The gay airman who took on the US military

Continue reading the main story In today's Magazine The ex-POW teaching Vietnam to swim The riches beneath Mongolia's Turquoise Hill The Indian town with 6,000 widows Chess and 18th Century artificial intelligence In 1975 an air force sergeant made history when he came out, to challenge the ban on homosexuals in the US military. Leonard Matlovich became a figurehead for gay rights, but he could not have foreseen that in 2013 the US Supreme Court would be considering whether to overturn a ban on same-sex marriages.

"It just tears me apart on the inside," Matlovich said in his first national TV interview in May 1975. "My conscience just wouldn't let me do it any more. I had to come forward and say: No more, America!"

Matlovich was the kind of serviceman the air force prided itself on. He had voluntarily served three tours of duty in Vietnam. He had been injured while clearing landmines and was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star medal.

At the time, David Addlestone was working as a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union and had been looking for a gay soldier who would put himself forward to challenge the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteHe was a patriotic, conservative middle-class war hero - he destroyed the popular myth of homosexuality”

End QuoteDavis AddlestoneLawyer "He was the perfect test case," says Addlestone, who hoped Matlovich's excellent military record might make the air force think twice about applying the ban.

Addlestone warned Matlovich, nonetheless, that he was likely to be discharged and "throw away 13 years of military service and a pension". But "Leonard said he couldn't live a lie" any longer, Addlestone recalls.

Matlovich had only come to terms with his homosexuality two years earlier, at the age of 30. Both his parents were deeply religious and politically conservative - his father had also served in the air force - and Matlovich was a devout Catholic himself.

"We were very much a 'What do the neighbours think of me?' type of family," says his niece Vicky Walker. "We had to do everything the right way. We were not even allowed to drink soda. My grandfather was very strict - loving but strict."

According to Michael Bedwell - a gay rights activist who became a close friend and flatmate for several years - Matlovich knew from an early age that he was "different".

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How Beeching cuts divided Yorkshire

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Why such a fuss about extinction?

Would the world be better if velociraptors still existed? More from David A deep sea mission of genuine exploration Legacy of Britain's great flood Can UK science navigate around the Valley of Death Is graphene really a wonder-material? What is wrong with extinction? I realise this question is the conservation equivalent of a landmine - or an elephant trap. And that it is likely to ruffle a lot of fur.

But I ask because I am merely wondering whether we sometimes forget a grim reality of the story of life on Earth - that extinction has always been with us.

In fact, it has quite often been good for us.

We are certainly far better off without velociraptors slashing their way through our cities. Our streets are safer with no sabre-toothed tigers. And imagine trying to swat one of those monster prehistoric insects like a vulture-sized dragonfly.

The question of extinction most recently surfaced at the talks on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - the treaty meant to save endangered species from the devastating effects of trade.

The slaughter of rhino, the decimation of elephant, the forlorn last stand of the tiger - all had their profiles raised as the delegates in Bangkok negotiated their fate.

And anyone hearing the protests and the campaigns, and the shocking statistics about the losses, might be forgiven for thinking that extinction was some new kind of evil that was not invented until rapacious and uncaring mankind came along.

I should state right now that some of the most ghastly examples are indeed entirely the result of man's activities, sometimes unwittingly, sometimes carelessly.

Natural order

However, taking a long view, extinction has been part of the natural order of things throughout Earth's history.

The most famous mass wipe-out was the loss of the dinosaurs. And four other great die-offs have been identified - one of them killing off something like 90% of species.

“Start QuoteThe blunt truth is that the living world is a restless, churning enterprise in which nothing endures forever”

End Quote

But there is so-called "background" extinction as well - species fading out year by year, creatures quietly losing out to others and disappearing. These losses might not be spectacular - in fact, they're routine.

The result is that the average species only lasts a few million years. Mammals do worst, surviving between one and two million years. Clams do better at five to seven million.

A few hardy survivors - the leatherback turtle is a prime example of a sturdy design - cling on for tens of millions of years.

But the blunt truth is that the living world is a restless, churning enterprise in which nothing endures forever. Astonishingly, almost every life form that has ever existed on the planet has died out.

It is worth pausing to absorb what that means. Something like 90% - or even 99%, according to some estimates - of every kind of sea creature or land animal or insect or plant that enjoyed a spell on Earth then vanished into oblivion.

Some remains morphed into fossils and ended up on the shelves of museums. Others have left no trace.

No mourning

Charles Darwin wrote of extinction in his landmark On the Origin of Species.

For him, the process of evolution involved new species gaining ground and others losing out. He certainly did not mourn the passing of the losers.

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Has Street View changed the way we act?

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VIDEO: Berezovsky house given all-clear

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Cocaine found in shipment of bricks

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Italy court considers Knox retrial

5: South African soldiers killed in CAR 6: Dead ducks pulled from China river 7: Profit at Big Five banks 'wiped out' 8: The gay airman who took on the US military 9: Why such a fuss about extinction? 10: US set for Bagram prison handover Video/Audio 1: Audi crash like an 'explosion' Watch 2: Fisherman: 'I proceeded to drown' Watch 3: Russia riled but Germany relieved Watch 4: Islamist rebels attack Mali town Watch 5: One-minute World News Watch 6: Buddhists target Sri Lanka's Muslims Watch 7: Change how a documentary ends Watch 8: Berezovsky house given all-clear Watch 9: Harrison Ford: 'Humans need nature' Watch 10: UK snow: 'I've been trapped since Friday' Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Young cancer deaths halved since 70s

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Heseltine queries 'will to improve'

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London Market Report

1.35 (Open): Shares in Vodafone climbed 2.6% following reports at the weekend that the mobile firm was considering selling its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless.

The Sunday Times reported that Vodafone favours selling its stake in its joint venture with Verizon Communications.

Overall, shares opened higher as global markets welcomed the news that eurozone finance ministers had agreed a 10bn-euro bailout deal for Cyprus.

The FTSE 100 was up 32.81 points at 6,425.57 shortly after trading began.

Financial shares led the index higher. Among the banks, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group both rose 2%.

On the currency markets, the pound dipped against the euro as the single currency rose following the deal for Cyprus. The pound fell by 0.1% against the euro to 1.1713 euros, while against the dollar the pound was unchanged at $1.5227.

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Stock markets rise on Cyprus deal

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Tube map creator gets blue plaque

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iPlayer debut for Peter Kay sitcom

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Harry lined up for six-day US tour

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Ford sorry for Berlusconi advert

3: 'Draft deal reached' in Cyprus talks 4: Italy court considers Knox retrial 5: South African soldiers killed in CAR 6: Dead ducks pulled from China river 7: Profit at Big Five banks 'wiped out' 8: The gay airman who took on the US military 9: Why such a fuss about extinction? 10: US set for Bagram prison handover Video/Audio 1: Audi crash like an 'explosion' Watch 2: Fisherman: 'I proceeded to drown' Watch 3: Russia riled but Germany relieved Watch 4: One-minute World News Watch 5: Islamist rebels attack Mali town Watch 6: Change how a documentary ends Watch 7: Buddhists target Sri Lanka's Muslims Watch 8: Aerial video shows cars buried in snow Watch 9: Cash woes continue for Cypriots Watch 10: Heavy snow cuts off roads in N Ireland Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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HK court denies maids residency

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Cameron targets migrant benefits

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Amniotic fluid 'may heal babies'

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US army hands over Bagram prison

Although a handover ceremony took place last September, US forces remained at the prison pending a deal over the fate of certain prisoners Continue reading the main story Taliban Conflict Insider attacks: Causes Who are the Taliban? Militant nexus Q&A: Foreign forces The US has handed over to Afghanistan the only prison still under American control, resolving an issue that has strained ties between the countries.

A transfer ceremony took place at the prison, which was renamed the Afghan National Detention Facility at Parwan.

It had been delayed while the two sides finalised a deal over the fate of prisoners considered dangerous.

The handover came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit.

He is to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss a series of issues, such as the transfer of security to Afghan forces.

'Afghanistan's Guantanamo'

Bagram jail has a chequered reputation, having been at the centre of a number of prisoner abuse allegations.

It was once located in Bagram air base, one of the largest military bases for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, about 40km (25 miles) north of the capital, Kabul. The new Parwan facility was constructed a few miles away and populated with inmates in 2010.

"The transfer of the detention facility is an important part of the overall transition of security lead to Afghan National Security Forces. This ceremony highlights an increasingly confident, capable and sovereign Afghanistan," said Gen Dunford, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.

Last March the US agreed to hand over responsibility for the majority of the detainees, thought to number more than 3,000, and actually held a transfer ceremony last September.

Continue reading the main storyBagram timeline 1979-88: Key base for troops and supplies during Soviet occupation 2001: Air base taken over by coalition forces following fall of Taliban regime, also becomes the main US detention facility in Afghanistan July 2005: Escape by four "dangerous enemy combatants", the first by any prisoners February 2007: Suicide attack outside base during visit by US Vice President Dick Cheney kills more than 20 people 2010: Thousands of prisoners moved to Parwan Detention Centre, built outside base with extra capacity to replace old prison April 2010: Allegations surface of prisoner abuse at a hidden facility at Bagram February 2012: Violent protests erupt after US troops inadvertently burn copies of the Koran at Bagram - at least 30 are killed March 2012: Agreement to hand over jail to Afghan control September 2012: Handover ceremony held but US forces remain to guard a core of "dangerous" prisoners March 2013: Final handover ceremony cancelled by US over concerns over fate of those prisoners 'Rebranding' US detention in Afghanistan But the full transfer was held up over a disagreement about the fate of certain inmates who the US feared could be released if the prison was handed over.

US forces remained at the prison and continued to guard about 50 inmates as well as those taken into custody since the initial transfer deal, AFP news agency reports.

Earlier this month a ceremony transferring the final prisoners to Afghan custody was called off at the last minute because President Karzai reportedly rejected part of the deal.

The Pentagon said over the weekend that an agreement had been reached. Reports say this ensures that prisoners of concern will not be released from the detention centre without a full review.

The prison been described as "Afghanistan's Guantanamo".

In January 2012, Afghan investigators accused the US Army of abusing detainees at Bagram. The investigators said prisoners had reported being tortured, held without evidence and subjected to humiliating body searches.

Nato and the US have rejected allegations of abuse as untrue and pointed to the fact that they have given the Afghan Human Rights commission access to check them independently.

In February 2012, US soldiers unwittingly burned Korans confiscated from prisoners at Bagram, leading to days of protests and targeted killings across Afghanistan.

A US investigation said there was no malicious intent to insult Islam.

But the future of the US-run prison had become a thorn in the side of US-Afghan relations ahead of the planned withdrawal of these forces in 2014.

Many Nato forces have already begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan ahead of the complete transfer of power to Afghan security forces.

More on This Story Taliban Conflict Insider attacks: CausesWho are the Taliban?Militant nexusQ&A: Foreign forcesAfghan peace hopesSecurity after NatoNato's exit strategy WatchTaliban fighters switch sides BackgroundInside Camp BastionEight weeks to face the Taliban From other news sites Hindustan Times US-to-handover-Bagram-jail-to-Afghan-forces 6 hrs ago AFP Afghanistan to take full control of Bagram jail 7 hrs ago About these results Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print More Asia stories RSS

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Proposals on England-only law votes

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No confidence in Gove, union says

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Science adviser warns of more floods

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Profit at Big Five banks 'wiped out'

7: Dead ducks pulled from China river 8: Cyprus's devastating rescue 9: Why such a fuss about extinction? 10: US set for Bagram prison handover Video/Audio 1: Audi crash like an 'explosion' Watch 2: Fisherman: 'I proceeded to drown' Watch 3: Russia riled but Germany relieved Watch 4: One-minute World News Watch 5: Islamist rebels attack Mali town Watch 6: Change how a documentary ends Watch 7: Buddhists target Sri Lanka's Muslims Watch 8: Aerial video shows cars buried in snow Watch 9: Cash woes continue for Cypriots Watch 10: Heavy snow cuts off roads in N Ireland Watch Elsewhere on the BBC

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Power still out after heavy snow

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Border agency condemned over backlog

Ms Homer said the events described had occurred after she left the agency Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesBorder agency 'misinformed MPs'Warning over immigration backlogPM wants residency test for housing MPs say the UK Border Agency is still plagued by backlogs of unresolved immigration cases.

The Home Affairs Committee said it had been supplied incorrect data by the agency for six years, and "repeatedly misled" by former head Lin Homer.

Ms Homer, now the head of Revenue and Customs, said the accusation was unfair and untrue.

The report comes as the prime minister announces steps to restrict the rights of some immigrants to social housing.

In its latest report into the immigration agency, the committee said that for six years the UKBA had repeatedly supplied incorrect information about the size of the asylum backlog and measures supposedly being taken to trace others with whom officials had lost contact.

The MPs said the failure to trace these other migrants, whose cases were placed in a closed "controlled archive", led officials to conclude that they were not in the UK when in fact tens of thousands of them could be.

The report said that the total backlog of unresolved or disputed immigration cases in the UK was 312,726 at the end of September last year - but it was not possible to be sure if that figure was accurate. Officials say the committee's figures include cases that have either been closed or should not be considered as part of a backlog.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteThe suggestion that I deliberately misled the Committee and refused to apologise are both untrue and unfair”

End QuoteLin Homer "Lin Homer, who was in charge of the Agency for much of the period in question, has repeatedly misled the Committee over the size of the asylum backlog and still refuses to take responsibility for her failings," said the committee.

"It is shocking that after five years under Lin Homer's leadership an organisation that was described at the beginning of the period as being 'not fit for purpose' should have improved its performance so little.

MPs 'astounded'

"Given this background, we are astounded that Ms Homer has been promoted to become Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and can therefore have little confidence in her ability to lead HMRC at what is a challenging time for that organisation."

Ms Homer has already written to the committee to refute the allegations which she says relate to events after she left the agency 18 months ago.

"The suggestion that I deliberately misled the Committee and refused to apologise are both untrue and unfair," she said in the letter. "It is therefore wholly inaccurate and unfair to seek to ascribe responsibility to me for matters of concern that occurred long after I left the Agency."

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End of the Road for Golden Gate Bridge Toll Collectors

Bloomberg Hires From 4 Broadway Shows for Inner Circle Dinner

Pennsylvania Study Finds Halfway Houses Don’t Reduce Recidivism

By SAM DOLNICKPublished: March 24, 2013 The federal government and states across the country have spent billions of dollars in recent years on sprawling, privately run halfway houses, which are supposed to save money and rehabilitate inmates more effectively than prisons do.

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Thrills, and Hope, on Opening Day

Michael Kirby Smith for The New York TimesFive months after Hurricane Sandy devastated the coast, the familiar traditions on opening day at Luna Park on Coney Island hinted at a return to normal.

By VIVIAN YEEPublished: March 24, 2013 Arriving at 8:30 the night before the ride was supposed to reopen for the season, Mr. Cyclone — otherwise known as Eric Knapp, 47 — had claimed the first spot in line to ride the Cyclone, Coney Island’s famed wooden roller coaster, and more than 15 hours later, he was still excited. Very excited.

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Views Diverge on Dispersal of Newtown Aid

For Homesick Russian Tycoon, Instant of Ruin Came in Court

Getty ImagesBoris A. Berezovsky, center, in London last August after he lost a $5.1 billion lawsuit against a former associate. Facing millions in legal bills, he began to divest himself of the assets he had acquired so proudly.

By SARAH LYALLPublished: March 24, 2013 LONDON — The moment of ruin for Boris A. Berezovsky, the exiled Russian oligarch who was found dead on Saturday outside London, came not when he fell out with the Kremlin, or when his latest long-term relationship broke up, or even when Russia sentenced him to prison in absentia.

RelatedRussian Oligarch and Critic of Putin Dies in Britain (March 24, 2013) Related in OpinionLatitude: The Man Behind Putin(March 25, 2013)

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